Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-04-30

The railroads are conducting their campaign
against the Interstate commerce law with great
ingenuity and audacity. They savagely assaii
every interest exposed to their power, and say:
at Is the new law, which hits you cry out against
IT; repeal it," They have even succeeded IN pre-
venting. in the important cases in which tempo
rary suspension has been granted, the practical
test OF the long and shOrt-haul clause by inducing
the commission TO discard in these cases the
teachings to be obtained from a survey of the ac-
tual working OF the law, and 10 substitute as
guide 10 correct decision for or against suspen-
sion the interested guesses OF railroad officials
70 probable results, the bug-a-bOos which Con-
greSs laughed at in adopting the clause. Expert
ence will probably show that the law needs some
amendment. and modification in the long and
short haul clause may be found necessary. But
nothing short OF impartial observation of the
working OF this clause, under the regulation of
disintereSted commission, can establish the fact.
Arguments and guessing statistics which failed TO
prevent Congress from adopting che clause. viii
not do IT. While the long and short-haul clause Is
merely single and not vital feature OF the law,
1t Is not clear by any means that its
advantages will not be found TO outweigh its
disadvantages. In the new West the power of the
railroads to make discriminating rates placed the
future OF the towns OF that section in the hands OF
the railroad kings, who dispensed their fayOrs 10
those settlements which bribed them most hber-
HlJ Et0u anu MANY du dopIIlLS
Western town rejOceS to-day in the removal OF the
tyranny OF such discrimination. The farmers OF
the Eastern coast viii also approve tie clause.
The railroads have paid little attention to them in
the scramble for the long haul OF western pro-
ducts, which gives TO the transportation agencies
the substance OF the value OF such products. The
decline In the value of Atlantic coast farms, due
TO increasing discrimination In railroad rates
against the agriculture OF the East. is observed
from Maine to Florida \ correspondent OF the
Richmond Dispatch, in discussing Nirgna'S flnan-
cial problem, presents some Interesting statistics
concerning this shrinkage OF values. There was he
shows by the census, loss of taxable values in Viz
ginia, between 1870 and 1880, Of $50, 9S4 1872 in
New Jersey OF 0,610; in North Carolina OF
500, 30, 0l2 in Lancaster County, Pa, OF S2T-
O6i, $50; in Albemare County. Va, OF - 3t $50;
In LoUdoun OF 81 46 10l; in Fauquier OF 81, 49,
143; in Rockingham of s231S AS: in Washington
County OF 81, 649. S:7. This Shrfnkage in values
the writer holds, has been exclusively in the agri-
cultural wealth Of the States and counties med
and has been great between 1850 and 1887 as it
was in the whole ten years preceding 1850. The |
selling price OF purely agricultural land in the |
counties has recently gone down, the writer as |
serts fully One-haif, and in many sections OF Viz
gfnia it is difficult 10 sell it al any price
For every loser by the long and short haul clause
there viii be gamer, and only experience and |
observation can determine whether under the old |
or the new order OF things the gains and losses |
will be more justly distributed.